Publications

cataract surgery with foldable intraocular lens implants in captive lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	two juvenile, male, captive-born lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) with the same father but different mothers developed bilateral cataracts. the cataracts were surgically removed within 6 yr and 3 mo, respectively, of diagnosis, and foldable intraocular lenses were implanted. although vision was not restored in one eye with a mature, 6-yr-old cataract in gorilla a, surgical intervention on the other eye was performed before a complete cataract developed, and vision was fully restored. g ...	2004	15732594
inter- and intra-specific variation in the ontogeny of the hominoid facial skeleton: testing assumptions of ontogenetic variability.	in this paper we use geometric morphometric techniques to test two assumptions that are commonly made about variations in facial ontogeny: closely related species, or members of the same species, will share a common early post-natal ontogeny; and closely related species, or members of the same species, will share a common ontogenetic scaling trajectory. to test these assumptions we use four species of hominines: homo sapiens, gorilla gorilla, pan troglodytes and pan paniscus. the first assumptio ...	2004	15646274
a geometric morphometric assessment of hominoid crania: conservative african apes and their liberal implications.	this study examined the cranial affinities of all extant hominoids using 3d geometric morphometric analysis. a least squares procrustean superimposition was used to eliminate differences due to location, orientation, and size. because of a persistent correlation between centroid size and shape variation, an allometric size adjustment was also applied to these data. phenetic affinities were then examined through a battery of multivariate statistical analyses. results of this study indicate a stro ...	2004	15646275
craniofacial sexual dimorphism patterns and allometry among extant hominids.	craniofacial sexual dimorphism in primates varies in both magnitude and pattern among species. in the past two decades, there has been an increasing emphasis in exploring the correlations of these patterns with taxonomy and the variation in patterns within and among the craniofacial regions. scrutinising these relationships for hominids, we decompose the craniofacial morphology in five taxa: homo sapiens, pan paniscus, pan troglodytes, gorilla gorilla and pongo pygmaeus. 3d coordinates of 35 tra ...	2004	15646280
endoparasites of western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) at bai hokou, central african republic.	a coprologic study of free-ranging western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) at bai hokou, dzangha-ndoki national park, central african republic (2 degrees 51'34''n, 16 degrees 28'03''e) was conducted from october 1999 to november 2000. all 75 fecal samples examined were positive for endoparasites, and each contained at least two species. parasites present included two genera of amoebae, entodiniomorph ciliates, including prototapirella gorillae, troglodytella spp., and gorillophilus th ...	2004	15650099
patterns of tooth crown size and shape variation in great apes and humans and species recognition in the hominid fossil record.	it has been suggested that patterns of craniodental variation in living hominids (gorilla, homo, pan, and pongo) may be useful for evaluating variation in fossil hominid assemblages. using this approach, a fossil sample exhibiting a pattern of variation that deviates from one shared among living taxa would be regarded as taxonomically heterogeneous. here we examine patterns of tooth crown size and shape variation in great apes and humans to determine 1) if these taxa share a pattern of dental va ...	2004	15386248
a gradient of silent substitution rate in the human pseudoautosomal region.	it has been demonstrated that recombination in the human p-arm pseudoautosomal region (p-par) is at least twenty times more frequent than the genomic average of approximately 1 cm/mb, which may affect substitution patterns and rates in this region. here i report the analysis of substitution patterns and rates in 10 human, chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan genes across the p-par. between species silent divergence in the p-par forms a gradient, increasing toward the telomere. the correlation of s ...	2004	14660686
sex differences in play among western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) infants: implications for adult behavior and social structure.	mammalian play is believed to improve motor skills as well as facilitate the development of social relationships. given the marked sexual dimorphism in gorilla body size and the role assumed by the male in protecting the group from conspecifics and predators, the motor-training hypothesis of play predicts that male infants should exhibit higher frequencies of social play than female infants, and that males should prefer to play with other males. given that adult female gorillas are strongly attr ...	2004	14669236
human cytosolic sulfotransferase database mining: identification of seven novel genes and pseudogenes.	a total of 10 sult genes are presently known to be expressed in human tissues. we performed a comprehensive genome-wide search for novel sult genes using two different but complementary approaches, and developed a novel graphical display to aid in the annotation of the hits. seven novel human sult genes were identified, five of which were predicted to be pseudogenes, including two processed pseudogenes and three pseudogenes that contained introns. those five pseudogenes represent the first unamb ...	2004	14676822
genetic variability and evolution of two pharmacologically important classes of genes.	we have studied the human genetic variability of single nucleotide polymorphisms (snps) and haplotypes in two pharmaceutically important classes of genes that might be expected to experience different evolutionary pressures: antigen presentation and processing (app) and nuclear hormone receptor (nhr) genes. we compared the variation pattern in these two classes of genes with 5119 reference (ref) genes. we assessed this variability by sequencing and discovering snps in 5'-upstream, 5'-untranslate ...	2004	14683423
cortical orofacial motor representation in old world monkeys, great apes, and humans. i. quantitative analysis of cytoarchitecture.	social life in anthropoid primates is mediated by interindividual communication, involving movements of the orofacial muscles for the production of vocalization and gestural expression. although phylogenetic diversity has been reported in the auditory and visual communication systems of primates, little is known about the comparative neuroanatomy that subserves orofacial movement. the current study reports results from quantitative image analysis of the region corresponding to orofacial represen ...	2004	14685002
cortical orofacial motor representation in old world monkeys, great apes, and humans. ii. stereologic analysis of chemoarchitecture.	this study presents a comparative stereologic investigation of neurofilament protein- and calcium-binding protein-immunoreactive neurons within the region of orofacial representation of primary motor cortex (brodmann's area 4) in several catarrhine primate species (macaca fascicularis, papio anubis, pongo pygmaeus, gorilla gorilla, pan troglodytes, and homo sapiens). results showed that the density of interneurons involved in vertical interlaminar processing (i.e., calbindin- and calretinin-immu ...	2004	14685003
domain shuffling has been the main mechanism forming new hominoid killer cell ig-like receptors.	the killer cell ig-like receptor (kir) gene family encodes mhc class i-specific receptors, which regulate nk cell responses and are also expressed on subpopulations of t cells. kir haplotypes vary in gene content, which, in combination with allelic polymorphism, extensively diversifies the kir genotype both within and between human populations. species comparison indicates that formation of new kir genes and loss of old ones are frequent events, so that few genes are conserved even between close ...	2004	14688344
a uniquely human consequence of domain-specific functional adaptation in a sialic acid-binding receptor.	most mammalian cell surfaces display two major sialic acids (sias), n-acetylneuraminic acid (neu5ac) and n-glycolylneuraminic acid (neu5gc). humans lack neu5gc due to a mutation in cmp-neu5ac hydroxylase, which occurred after evolutionary divergence from great apes. we describe an apparent consequence of human neu5gc loss: domain-specific functional adaptation of siglec-9, a member of the family of sialic acid-binding receptors of innate immune cells designated the cd33-related siglecs (cd33rsig ...	2004	14693915
sequence, evolution and ligand binding properties of mammalian duffy antigen/receptor for chemokines.	the duffy antigen/ receptor for chemokine, darc, acts as a widely expressed promiscuous chemokine receptor and as the erythrocyte receptor for plasmodium vivax. to gain insight into the evolution and structure/function relations of darc, we analyzed the binding of anti-human fy monoclonal antibodies (mabs) and human chemokines to red blood cells (rbcs) from 11 nonhuman primates and two nonprimate mammals, and we elucidated the structures of the darc genes from gorilla, gibbon, baboon, marmoset, ...	2004	14712331
comparison of storage methods for reverse-transcriptase pcr amplification of rotavirus rna from gorilla (gorilla g. gorilla) fecal samples.	detection of enteric viral nucleic acids in preserved gorilla fecal specimens was investigated using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr). a commercially available viral rna extraction kit was used to isolate nucleic acids from captive gorilla fecal samples seeded with rotavirus and stored in ethanol, formalin, a commercial rna preservation solution, guanidine thiocyanate buffer (gt), and samples dried in tubes containing silica gel. nucleic acids were extracted at 1, 7, 70 a ...	2004	14715302
simian t cell leukaemia virus type i subtype b in a wild-caught gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) and chimpanzee (pan troglodytes vellerosus) from cameroon.	a serological survey for human t cell leukaemia virus (htlv)/simian t cell leukaemia virus (stlv) antibodies was performed in 61 wild-caught african apes, including five gorillas and 56 chimpanzees originating from south cameroon. two young animals, a gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) and a chimpanzee (pan troglodytes vellerosus), exhibited a pattern of complete htlv-i seroreactivity. sequence comparison and phylogenetic analyses using the complete ltr (750 bp) and a 522 bp fragment of the env g ...	2004	14718616
multiple ebola virus transmission events and rapid decline of central african wildlife.	several human and animal ebola outbreaks have occurred over the past 4 years in gabon and the republic of congo. the human outbreaks consisted of multiple simultaneous epidemics caused by different viral strains, and each epidemic resulted from the handling of a distinct gorilla, chimpanzee, or duiker carcass. these animal populations declined markedly during human ebola outbreaks, apparently as a result of ebola infection. recovered carcasses were infected by a variety of ebola strains, suggest ...	2004	14726594
survey of gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) and chimpanzees (pan troglodytes troglodytes) in southwestern cameroon.	a study on the distribution and population density of the western lowland gorilla (gorilla g. gorilla) and the central chimpanzee (pan t. troglodytes) was undertaken between december 1997 and august 2000 in the campo and ma'an forests in southwestern cameroon. the aim of this survey was to estimate the densities of the apes in different parts of the area, to assess the importance of the region for the conservation of these endangered species and to determine the influence of human activities suc ...	2004	14586801
baby-transfer and other interactions between its mother and grandmother in a captive social group of lowland gorillas.	this report describes the responses of an experienced gorilla mother to inappropriate maternal behavior displayed by her young adult daughter toward a newborn baby and repeated acts of baby-transfer between these two females in a captive social group of lowland gorillas ( gorilla g. gorilla). the quality of infant care by the young adult daughter clearly improved during the first 4 days after birth, and this improvement was at least partly based on her mother's encouragement. thus, the mother's ...	2004	14586802
dispersed male networks in western gorillas.	although kin-selection theory has been widely used to explain the tendency of individuals to bias beneficial behaviors towards relatives living within the same social group, less attention has focused on kin-biased interactions between groups. for animal societies in which females emigrate, as is the case for mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei), encounters between males in different groups often involve aggressive displays that can escalate to physical violence and fatal injuries. howe ...	2004	15043817
naturally acquired simian retrovirus infections in central african hunters.	hunting and butchering of wild non-human primates infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (siv) is thought to have sparked the hiv pandemic. although siv and other primate retroviruses infect laboratory workers and zoo workers, zoonotic retrovirus transmission has not been documented in natural settings. we investigated zoonotic infection in individuals living in central africa.	2004	15043960
accelerated evolution of the aspm gene controlling brain size begins prior to human brain expansion.	primary microcephaly (mcph) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by global reduction in cerebral cortical volume. the microcephalic brain has a volume comparable to that of early hominids, raising the possibility that some mcph genes may have been evolutionary targets in the expansion of the cerebral cortex in mammals and especially primates. mutations in aspm, which encodes the human homologue of a fly protein essential for spindle function, are the most common known cause of mcph. he ...	2004	15045028
orangutan herpesvirus.	a male orangutan suffered from ulcers at the buccal mucosa. we obtained swab fluid from the base of both vesicles and ulcers and collected blood for further separation into serum, plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) for detection of antibody to herpesvirus by serology and herpesvirus dna by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) using consensus degenerate primers. serology was positive for human ebv igg but negative for epstein-barr virus (ebv) immunoglobulin (igm), as well as for both ...	2004	15061729
event memory and misinformation effects in a gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	event memory and misinformation effects were examined in an adult male gorilla ( gorilla gorilla gorilla). the gorilla witnessed a series of unique events, involving a familiar person engaging in a novel behavior (experiment 1), a novel person engaging in a novel behavior (experiment 2), or the presentation of a novel object (experiment 3). following a 5- to 10-min retention interval, a tester gave the gorilla three photographs mounted on wooden cards: a photograph depicting the correct person o ...	2004	15069608
simian t-cell leukemia virus (stlv) infection in wild primate populations in cameroon: evidence for dual stlv type 1 and type 3 infection in agile mangabeys (cercocebus agilis).	three types of human t-cell leukemia virus (htlv)-simian t-cell leukemia virus (stlv) (collectively called primate t-cell leukemia viruses [ptlvs]) have been characterized, with evidence for zoonotic origin from primates for htlv type 1 (htlv-1) and htlv-2 in africa. to assess human exposure to stlvs in western central africa, we screened for stlv infection in primates hunted in the rain forests of cameroon. blood was obtained from 524 animals representing 18 different species. all the animals w ...	2004	15078952
conservation and loss of the erv3 open reading frame in primates.	the human endogenous retrovirus erv3 possesses an open reading frame for a truncated envelope, which is expressed as mrna and protein. here we examine the env sequence in primates for evidence of evolutionary conservation. erv3 sequences were amplified by pcr from genomic dna of great ape and old world primates but not from new world primates or gorilla, suggesting an integration event more than 30 million years ago with a subsequent loss in one species. in the chimpanzee, the protein sequence o ...	2004	15081124
treatment of acute self-aggressive behaviour in a captive gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla).		2004	15083975
fracture toughness of mountain gorilla (gorilla gorilla beringei) food plants.	mountain gorillas, the largest extant primates, subsist almost entirely on plant matter. moreover, their diet includes a substantial amount of structural material, such as bark and stems, which other primates tend to avoid. accordingly, the robust masticatory apparatus of gorillas may be adaptive to this presumably tough diet; however, quantitative information on this subject is lacking. in this study the fracture toughness of mountain gorilla foods was examined for the first time. samples of 44 ...	2004	15085532
dental topography and diets of australopithecus afarensis and early homo.	diet is key to understanding the paleoecology of early hominins. we know little about the diets of these fossil taxa, however, in part because of a limited fossil record, and in part because of limitations in methods available to infer their feeding adaptations. this paper applies a new method, dental topographic analysis, to the inference of diet from fossil hominin teeth. this approach uses laser scanning to generate digital 3d models of teeth and geographic information systems software to mea ...	2004	15120268
testing the chromosomal speciation hypothesis for humans and chimpanzees.	fixed differences of chromosomal rearrangements between isolated populations may promote speciation by preventing between-population gene flow upon secondary contact, either because hybrids suffer from lowered fitness or, more likely, because recombination is reduced in rearranged chromosomal regions. this chromosomal speciation hypothesis thus predicts more rapid genetic divergence on rearranged than on colinear chromosomes because the former are less porous to gene flow. a number of studies of ...	2004	15123584
reversal of neurologic deficit in an adult gorilla with severe symptomatic lumbar stenosis.	a case report is presented.	2004	15129090
mitochondrial dna phylogeography of western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	the geographical distribution of genetic variation within western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) was examined to clarify the population genetic structure and recent evolutionary history of this group. dna was amplified from shed hair collected from sites across the range of the three traditionally recognized gorilla subspecies: western lowland (g. g. gorilla), eastern lowland (g. g. graueri) and mountain (g. g. beringei) gorillas. nucleotide sequence variation was examined in the fir ...	2004	15140097
ontogenetic allometry, heterochrony, and interspecific differences in the skull of african apes, using tridimensional procrustes analysis.	ontogenetic studies of african ape skulls lead to an analysis of morphological differences in terms of allometry, heterochrony, and sexual dimorphism. the use of geometric morphometrics allows us 1) to define size and shape variations as independent factors (an essential but seldom respected condition for heterochrony), and 2) to calculate in percentage of shape changes and to graphically represent the parts of shape variation which are related to various biological phenomena: common allometry, ...	2004	15160366
beware of canine gorilla glue ingestions.	household adhesive ingestions are considered relatively non-toxic. gorilla glue is a household glue containing a urethane polymer and a polymeric isocyanate liquid compound available in container sizes of 2 to 36 oz, and when applied will expand to 3-4 times its original volume. we report the ingestion of gorilla glue by 2 dogs that caused obstructive masses requiring surgical intervention. dogs with a history of gorilla glue ingestion should be monitored closely by their owners and a veterinary ...	2004	15171495
parasitic health of olive baboons in bwindi impenetrable national park, uganda.	this study examined the endoparasite load of a group of olive baboons (papio cynocephalus anubis) that share their habitat with a population of mountain gorillas (gorilla gorilla berengei) in bwindi impenetrable national park, uganda. during a 2-week period in june 2002, shared habitat was substantiated by noting the ranging patterns of both species and recording observations and trail remains with a global positioning system (gps). parasite load was determined by collecting fecal samples preser ...	2004	15177721
comparison of cranial ontogenetic trajectories among great apes and humans.	molecular data suggest that humans are more closely related to chimpanzees than either is to the gorillas, yet one finds the closest similarity in craniofacial morphology to be among the great apes to the exclusion of humans. to clarify how and when these differences arise in ontogeny, we studied ontogenetic trajectories for homo sapiens, pan paniscus, pan troglodytes, gorilla gorilla and pongo pygmaeus. a total of 96 traditional three-dimensional landmarks and semilandmarks on the face and cran ...	2004	15183670
the deciduous lower dentition of ouranopithecus macedoniensis (primates, hominoidea) from the late miocene deposits of macedonia, greece.	two mandibular fragments with associated milk teeth assigned to the late miocene hominoid primate ouranopithecus macedoniensis are analyzed. the fossils, which belong to a single individual, were found in the vallesian locality of "ravin de la pluie" of the axios valley (macedonia, greece). the material is described here and compared with extant and extinct hominoids, allowing assessment of the evolutionary trends in the deciduous lower dentition within the hominoidea. hylobatids represent the m ...	2004	15183671
perceptual simulation in property verification.	if people represent concepts with perceptual simulations, two predictions follow in the property verification task (e.g., is face a property of gorilla?). first, perceptual variables such as property size should predict the performance of neutral subjects, because these variables determine the ease of processing properties in perceptual simulations (i.e., perceptual effort). second, uninstructed neutral subjects should spontaneously construct simulations to verify properties and therefore perfor ...	2004	15190717
fossils, feet and the evolution of human bipedal locomotion.	we review the evolution of human bipedal locomotion with a particular emphasis on the evolution of the foot. we begin in the early twentieth century and focus particularly on hypotheses of an ape-like ancestor for humans and human bipedal locomotion put forward by a succession of gregory, keith, morton and schultz. we give consideration to morton's (1935) synthesis of foot evolution, in which he argues that the foot of the common ancestor of modern humans and the african apes would be intermedia ...	2004	15198703
degeneration of an atp-binding cassette transporter gene, abcc13, in different mammalian lineages.	the abc transporter gene family has evolved by a gene "birth-and-death" process; however, the number of abc pseudogenes in the human genome is surprisingly small. on chromosome 21q11.2, spanning 90 kb, is an abc gene-like sequence (recently annotated as abcc13) with the highest similarity to abcc2. here we show that while comparative analysis and in silico prediction methods indicate the presence of at least 28 exons, the major abcc13 transcript in humans consists of only 6 exons with a total le ...	2004	15203202
the evolutionary conservation of the human chitotriosidase gene in rodents and primates.	chitinases have been identified in a variety of organisms ranging from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, known to specifically degrade chitin, an abundant polymer of n-acetylglucosamine. recently a human chitinolytic enzyme called chit1 was discovered. chit1 is expressed by activated macrophages and hydrolyzes artificial chitotrioside substrates, but its specific function in humans is unknown, since it is generally believed that man completely lacks endogenous chitin and endogenous substrates for chiti ...	2004	15218258
identification of two pseudogenes with sequence homology to human and gorilla mhc class ia genes: ancestral haplotype in the filipino population.	while characterizing exons 2 and 3 of the class i human leukocyte antigen (hla)-a locus in human lymphocytes, two similar but unexpected pcr products were detected in six samples of filipino ethnicity. a nucleotide sequence analysis of the two amplicons, tentatively named hla-coq and hla-del, rendered them as two novel and seemingly related sequences, both with homology to the gorilla and human major histocompatibility complex (mhc) a locus. exon 2 is similar to the published human pseudogenes h ...	2004	15219387
interlaminar astroglial processes in the cerebral cortex of great apes.	the present study was designed to document the architecture of neocortical astroglia in great apes, following glial fibrillary acidic protein immunohistochemistry. these anthropoid species were missing from previous phylogenetic descriptions of astroglia with interlaminar processes, a characteristic event of the cerebral cortex within the primate order. pongo pygmaeus (orangutan), gorilla gorilla (gorilla) and pan troglodytes (chimpanzee) brain samples showed the typical "palisade" of interlamin ...	2004	15221474
population genetic and phylogenetic evidence for positive selection on regulatory mutations at the factor vii locus in humans.	the abundance of cis-regulatory polymorphisms in humans suggests that many may have been important in human evolution, but evidence for their role is relatively rare. four common polymorphisms in the 5' promoter region of factor vii (f7), a coagulation factor, have been shown to affect its transcription and protein abundance both in vitro and in vivo. three of these polymorphisms have low-frequency alleles that decrease expression of f7 and may provide protection against myocardial infarction (h ...	2004	15238535
intrapopulation differences in ant eating in the mountain gorillas of bwindi impenetrable national park, uganda.	variability in ant eating has been observed in several populations of eastern and western gorillas. we investigated the occurrence of ant (dorylus sp.) eating in two groups of mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei) with overlapping home ranges within bwindi impenetrable national park, uganda from september 2001 to august 2002. we calculated the frequency of ant eating by an indirect method of analyzing fecal samples from silverbacks, adult females, and juveniles. one group consumed ants s ...	2004	15248086
inferences about the location of food in the great apes (pan paniscus, pan troglodytes, gorilla gorilla, and pongo pygmaeus).	bonobos (pan paniscus; n = 4), chimpanzees (pan troglodytes; n = 12), gorillas (gorilla gorilla; n = 8), and orangutans (pongo pygmaeus; n = 6) were presented with 2 cups (1 baited) and given visual or auditory information about their contents. visual information consisted of letting subjects look inside the cups. auditory information consisted of shaking the cup so that the baited cup produced a rattling sound. subjects correctly selected the baited cup both when they saw or heard the food. nin ...	2004	15250810
functional anatomy of the olecranon process in hominoids and plio-pleistocene hominins.	this study examines the functional morphology of the olecranon process in hominoids and fossil hominins. the length of the bony lever of the triceps brachii muscle (tbm) is measured as the distance between the trochlear articular center and the most distant insertion site of the tbm, and olecranon orientation is measured as the angle that this bony lever makes with the long axis of the ulna. results show that homo, pan, gorilla, most monkeys, and the australopithecus fossils studied have similar ...	2004	15252859
evidence of selection on the domesticated ervwe1 env retroviral element involved in placentation.	the human endogenous retrovirus herv-w multicopy family includes a unique proviral locus, termed ervwe1, which contains gag and pol pseudogenes and has retained a full-length envelope open reading frame (orf). this env protein (syncytin) is a highly fusogenic membrane glycoprotein and has been proposed to be involved in hominoid placental physiology. to track the hallmarks of natural selection acting on the ervwe1 env gene, the pattern of substitutions and indels was analyzed within all human he ...	2004	15254254
population and group structure of western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) at lokoué, republic of congo.	during a 17-month study at the lokoué clearing in odzala national park, republic of congo, we identified 377 western lowland gorillas. this population included 31 solitary males, 37 breeding groups, and eight nonbreeding groups. its age- and sex-class structure was similar to those observed at two other clearings in the same forest block. however, the size of breeding groups varied with site (either clearing or forest sites). at lokoué, breeding groups (mean size: 8.2 gorillas; range: 3-15) incl ...	2004	15258956
nuclear integrations of mitochondrial dna in gorillas.	great ape systematics, particularly at the species level and below, is currently under debate, due in part to the recent influx of molecular data. the phylogenies of previously published mitochondrial control region (or d-loop) dna sequences in gorillas show deep splits within west african gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla), and very high levels of nucleotide diversity in this subspecies. here we demonstrate that several previously reported d-loop haplotypes from west african gorillas are in all ...	2004	15258958
brain structure variation in great apes, with attention to the mountain gorilla (gorilla beringei beringei).	this report presents data regarding the brain structure of mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei) in comparison with other great apes. magnetic resonance (mr) images of three mountain gorilla brains were obtained with a 3t scanner, and the volume of major neuroanatomical structures (neocortical gray matter, hippocampus, thalamus, striatum, and cerebellum) was measured. these data were included with our existing database that includes 23 chimpanzees, three western lowland gorillas, and six ...	2004	15258959
bony ponticles of the atlas (c1) over the groove for the vertebral artery in humans and primates: polymorphism and evolutionary trends.	the aim of this study was to ascertain the distribution in primates of the three possible bony ponticles over the groove for the vertebral artery (ventral, lateral, and dorsal ponticles), in order to attempt to understand the variants observed in humans and to ascertain possible evolutionary trends in primates. the material consisted of 393 atlases of extant nonhuman primates representative of 41 genera, and of 500 human atlases (dried bones of adults). for each atlas, we studied the existence a ...	2004	15293328
testicular histological examination of spermatogenetic activity in captive gorillas (gorilla gorilla).	to clarify the reproductive state of male gorillas, we performed histological examinations on the testicles of 10 male gorillas (gorilla gorilla). the testicular samples were obtained by autopsy, and ordinal histological preparations were made for light microscopy. the poor spermatogenesis of this species was characterized by the following findings: first, spermatogenesis was evident in only four samples. meiosis progressed in two samples, but they lacked spermatogenesis. in the remaining four s ...	2004	15300708
simulation of the population dynamics and social structure of the virunga mountain gorillas.	an agent-based model was developed to simulate the growth rate, age structure, and social system of the endangered mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei) in the virunga volcanoes region. the model was used to compare two types of data: 1) estimates of the overall population size, age structure, and social structure, as measured by six censuses of the entire region that were conducted in 1971-2000; and 2) information about birth rates, mortality rates, dispersal patterns, and other life hi ...	2004	15300709
clinical effects and plasma concentrations of fentanyl after transmucosal administration in three species of great ape.	fentanyl is approved for transmucosal use in the united states as a preanesthetic agent in human pediatric patients and in adults for breakthrough cancer pain. using this formulation in three species of great ape, including eight orangutans (pongo pygmaeus), nine chimpanzees (pan troglodytes), and two gorillas (gorilla gorilla), fentanyl was offered transmucosally at an intended dose of 10-15 microg/kg based on estimated body weight. the animals were trained to accept and suck slowly on a piece ...	2004	15305510
functional structure of the skull in hominoidea.	finite elements stress analysis (fesa) was used to investigate the flow of compressive forces which occur if a homogenous, three-dimensional body representing the skull is loaded by simulated bite forces against the tooth row. model 1 represents the snout alone. bite forces are applied simultaneously, but increase rearward. stresses in the model concentrate along the anterior contour and the lower surface of the model, leaving unstressed a nasal opening and a wide naso-oral connection. model 2 r ...	2004	15316152
phylogenetic relationships in the lymphocryptovirus genus of the gammaherpesvirinae.	complete dna sequences were determined for the glycoprotein b (gb) genes of four viruses from the genus lymphocryptovirus, whose hosts had been assigned as baboon, orangutan, chimpanzee and gorilla. together with published sequences for the gb genes of three lymphocryptoviruses, namely the human pathogen epstein-barr virus (ebv), a rhesus monkey virus and a marmoset virus, the sequences were used to investigate evolutionary relationships in the genus. the chimpanzee and orangutan viruses' sequen ...	2004	14749184
the endogenous retroviral locus ervwe1 is a bona fide gene involved in hominoid placental physiology.	the definitive demonstration of a role for a recently acquired gene is a difficult task, requiring exhaustive genetic investigations and functional analysis. the situation is indeed much more complicated when facing multicopy gene families, because most or portions of the gene are conserved among the hundred copies of the family. this is the case for the ervwe1 locus of the human endogenous retrovirus w family (herv-w), which encodes an envelope glycoprotein (syncytin) likely involved in trophob ...	2004	14757826
inverted repeat structure of the human genome: the x-chromosome contains a preponderance of large, highly homologous inverted repeats that contain testes genes.	we have performed the first genome-wide analysis of the inverted repeat (ir) structure in the human genome, using a novel and efficient software package called inverted repeats finder (irf). after masking of known repetitive elements, irf detected 22,624 human irs characterized by arm size from 25 bp to >100 kb with at least 75% identity, and spacer length up to 100 kb. this analysis required 6 h on a desktop pc. in all, 166 irs had arm lengths >8 kb. from this set, irs were excluded if they wer ...	2004	15466286
home-range use and intergroup encounters in western gorillas (gorilla g. gorilla) at lossi forest, north congo.	i present data on home-range use and types of intergroup encounters for one group (apollo) of western gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) from a new study site in the republic of congo. the total home-range size of the focal group, which i calculated by superimposing a 100 m x 100 m grid over the mapped daily path traveled, was 11 km2. the majority (73%) of the group's home range was used exclusively, although at the periphery it overlapped with the ranges of three other groups. most encounters ( ...	2004	15470740
western gorilla diet: a synthesis from six sites.	the objective of this paper is to collate information on western gorilla diet from six study sites throughout much of their current range, including preliminary information from two sites (afi and lossi), where studies of diet have begun only recently. food lists were available from each site, derived from indirect signs of gorilla feeding (such as feces), with some observational data. important staple, seasonal, and fallback foods have been identified, and a number of striking similarities acro ...	2004	15470742
impact of ecological and social factors on ranging in western gorillas.	we examined the influence of ecological (diet, swamp use, and rainfall) and social (intergroup interaction rate) factors on ranging behavior in one group of western gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) during a 16-month study. relative to mountain gorillas, western gorillas live in habitats with reduced herb densities, more readily available fruit (from seasonal and rare fruit trees), and, at some sites, localized large open clearings (swamps and "bais"). ranging behavior reflects these ecological ...	2004	15470743
within-group social relationships among females and adult males in wild western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	within-group female relationships, and relationships between females and adult males have not been described for wild western lowland gorillas. new data are presented here from mbeli bai in the nouabale-ndoki national park, republic of congo. nine groups were observed over a continuous 2-year period, and affiliative and agonistic interactions, as well as time spent by females and adult males in proximity to each other were recorded. affiliative behavior was extremely rare in the bai, and measure ...	2004	15470744
behavioral ecology of western gorillas: new insights from the field.	the papers in this issue are from a conference held in may 2002 at the max planck institute for evolutionary anthropology in leipzig, germany. this conference brought together researchers from all current western gorilla sites for the first time with the aim of synthesizing the most current information available on western gorilla behavioral ecology. our goal was to assess the degree of behavioral diversity in gorillas in light of our current understanding of social evolution. the articles inclu ...	2004	15470745
genetic variation in gorillas.	this review summarizes what is currently known concerning genetic variation in gorillas, on both inter- and intraspecific levels. compared to the human species, gorillas, along with the other great apes, possess greater genetic variation as a consequence of a demographic history of rather constant population size. data and hence conclusions from analysis of mitochondrial dna (mtdna), the usual means of describing intraspecific patterns of genetic diversity, are limited at this time. an important ...	2004	15470746
effects of group dynamics and diet on the ranging patterns of a western gorilla group (gorilla gorilla gorilla) at bai hokou, central african republic.	this study describes how group dynamics and diet have influenced the ranging patterns of a western gorilla group at bai hokou, central african republic. the results are compared with those from an earlier study [cipolletta, international journal of primatology, 2003], when the same group was larger and undergoing the process of habituation to humans. data were obtained from maps of the gorillas' travel routes, direct observations, and analysis of fecal samples. through the years, the group has e ...	2004	15470747
social structure and life-history patterns in western gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	life-history traits and ecological conditions have an important influence on primate social systems. most of what we know about the life-history patterns and social structure of gorillas comes from studies of eastern gorillas (gorilla beringei sp.), which live under dramatically different ecological conditions compared to western gorillas (gorilla gorilla sp.). in this paper we present new data on western gorilla social structure and life histories from four study sites, and make comparisons wit ...	2004	15470749
occupational health and gorilla conservation in rwanda.	the design and implementation of an employee health program for people who work with mountain gorillas in rwanda is described. this program aims to improve worker health and to reduce human-to-gorilla transmission of infectious disease. the program covered approximately 111 workers, generally healthy men and women 25-45 years old, including essentially all people in rwanda who have regular contact with gorillas. initial assessment included a questionnaire, medical examination, and local tests. u ...	2004	15473088
tau gene (mapt) sequence variation among primates.	filamentous tau deposits are a defining feature of a number of human neurodegenerative diseases. apes and monkeys have been reported to be differentially susceptible to developing tau pathology. despite this, only little is known about the organisation and sequence of tau from nonhuman primates. here we have sequenced tau exons 1-13, including flanking intronic regions, and the region in intron 9 that contains saitohin in chimpanzees, gorillas, and gibbons. partial sequences were obtained for cy ...	2004	15474313
natural simian foamy virus infection in wild-caught gorillas, mandrills and drills from cameroon and gabon.	a survey for the presence of simian foamy retroviruses (sfvs) was performed in 44 wild-caught apes and monkeys, including 27 gorillas, 11 mandrills and six drills, originating from south cameroon or gabon. combined serological and/or nested-pcr assays indicated sfv infection among five gorilla gorilla gorilla, seven mandrillus sphinx and two mandrillus leucophaeus. sequences of a 425 bp fragment of the integrase gene were obtained for 11 animals. phylogenetic studies indicated that strains from ...	2004	15483245
major histocompatibility complex and microsatellite variation in two populations of wild gorillas.	in comparison to their close relatives the chimpanzees and humans, very little is known concerning the amount and structure of genetic variation in gorillas. two species of gorillas are recognized and while the western gorillas number in the tens of thousands, only several hundred representatives of the mountain gorilla subspecies of eastern gorillas survive. to analyse the possible effects of these different population sizes, this study compares the variation observed at microsatellite and majo ...	2004	15487998
a case study of primiparous maternal and infant gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) behavior.	a primiparous mother and her infant were subjects of a longitudinal behavioral study at lincoln park zoo in chicago, illinois. from november 1998 to november 1999, we collected a total of 100 hr of focal nonhuman animal instantaneous point sampling and all occurrence data on the mother and her infant. after 8 months, we introduced the 4-member focal group to an 8-member gorilla group, thus providing an opportunity to study the effect of the introduction on mother-infant behavior. overall, time t ...	2004	15498722
common aspects of human and primate seronegative arthritis.	a 27-year-old female lowland gorilla developed an asymmetric oligoarthritis 3 months post-partum. there was no evidence of an antecedent gastrointestinal or genitourinary infection. serum was negative for rheumatoid factor and antinuclear antibody. synovial fluid revealed 2000 white blood cells with negative cultures and polarized microscopy. studies on synoviocytes were the following: (1) facs analysis revealed surface expression of a b27-like epitope of the cells. (2) analysis of intracellular ...	2004	15517649
serial segmental duplications during primate evolution result in complex human genome architecture.	the human genome is particularly rich in low-copy repeats (lcrs) or segmental duplications (5%-10%), and this characteristic likely distinguishes us from lower mammals such as rodents. how and why the complex human genome architecture consisting of multiple lcrs has evolved remains an open question. using molecular and computational analyses of human and primate genomic regions, we analyzed the structure and evolution of lcrs that resulted in complex architectural features of the human genome in ...	2004	15520286
retrocyclins: using past as prologue.	retrocyclins are synthetic theta-defensins that were reconstructed from genetic blueprints that had remained unused for at least 7.5 million years. from phylogenetic studies, it appears that theta-defensins arose in old world monkeys, after that lineage had separated from the prosimians and new world monkeys. although some nonhuman primates continue to produce theta-defensin peptides today, homo sapiens and his gorilla, bonobo, and chimpanzee relatives do not. their inability to do so reflects t ...	2004	15544532
nucleotide sequence comparison of a chromosome rearrangement on human chromosome 12 and the corresponding ape chromosomes.	chromosome rearrangement has been considered to be important in the evolutionary process. here, we demonstrate the evolutionary relationship of the rearranged human chromosome 12 and the corresponding chromosome xii in apes (chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, orangutan, and gibbon) by examining pcr products derived from the breakpoints of inversions and by conducting shotgun sequencing of a gorilla fosmid clone containing the breakpoint and a "duplicated segment" (duplicon). we confirmed that a pair o ...	2005	15545719
breakpoint analysis of the pericentric inversion between chimpanzee chromosome 10 and the homologous chromosome 12 in humans.	during this study, we analysed the pericentric inversion that distinguishes human chromosome 12 (hsa12) from the homologous chimpanzee chromosome (ptr10). two large chimpanzee-specific duplications of 86 and 23 kb were observed in the breakpoint regions, which most probably occurred associated with the inversion. the inversion break in ptr10p caused the disruption of the slco1b3 gene in exon 11. however, the 86-kb duplication includes the functional slco1b3 locus, which is thus retained in the c ...	2005	15545720
evolutionary breakpoint analysis on y chromosomes of higher primates provides insight into human y evolution.	comparative fish mapping of pac clones covering almost 3 mb of the human azfa region in yq11.21 to metaphases of human and great apes unravels breakpoints that were involved in species-specific y chromosome evolution. an astonishing clustering of evolutionary breakpoints was detected in the very proximal region on the long arm of the human y chromosome in yq11.21. these breakpoints were involved in deletions, one specific for the human and another for the orang-utan y chromosome, in a duplicativ ...	2005	15545731
the evolution of the azoospermia factor region azfa in higher primates.	clones of a pac contig encompassing the human azfa region in yq11.21 were comparatively fish mapped to great ape y chromosomes. while the orthologous azfa locus in the chimpanzee, the bonobo and the gorilla maps to the long arm of their y chromosomes in yq12.1-->q12.2, yq13.1-->q13.2 and yq11.2, respectively, it is found on the short arm of the orang-utan subspecies of borneo and sumatra, in yp12.3 and yp13.2, respectively. regarding the order of pac clones and genes within the azfa region, no d ...	2005	15545732
new insights into the evolution of chromosome 1.	a complex low-repetitive human dna probe (bac rp11-35b4) together with two microdissection-derived region-specific probes of the multicolor banding (mcb) probe-set for chromosome 1 were used to re-analyze the evolution of human chromosome 1 in comparison to four ape species. bac rp11-35b4 derives from 1q21 and contains 143 kb of non-repetitive dna; however, it produces three specific fish signals in 1q21, 1p12 and 1p36.1 of homo sapiens (hsa). human chromosome 1 was studied in comparison to its ...	2005	15545733
panels of somatic cell hybrids specific for chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and baboon.	the generation of panels of somatic cell hybrids specific for chimpanzee, gorilla, orangutan, and olive baboon is reported. the chromosome content of each hybrid clone was characterized using reverse painting on human normal metaphases and by the use of appropriate sequence tag sites (stss), one for each chromosome arm. these resources can be advantageously exploited in the characterization of chromosome architecture of different primate species, with special reference to the discrimination of i ...	2005	15545734
comparative mapping of human claudin-1 (cldn1) in great apes.	the gene encoding claudin-1 (cldn1) has been mapped to human chromosome 3 (hsa3; 3q28-->q29) using a radiation hybrid panel. employing fluorescence in situ hybridization (fish) we here show that a human p1-derived artificial chromosome (pac) containing cldn1 detects the orthologous sites in chromosomes of the great apes, chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan. furthermore, the chromosomal position of cldn1 was determined in mouse chromosomes by fish. the position of fluorescent signals is confined t ...	2005	15545735
intestinal parasites and bacteria of mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei) in bwindi impenetrable national park, uganda.	a survey in 1994 examined intestinal helminths and bacterial flora of mountain gorillas (gorilla beringei beringei) in bwindi impenetrable national park, uganda. parasites and bacteria were identified to genus in the feces of two groups of tourist-habituated and one group of non-tourist-habituated mountain gorillas. eggs were identified as those of an anoplocephalid cestode, and nematode eggs representative of the genera: trichuris, ascaris, oesophagostomum, strongyloides, and trichostrongylus. ...	2005	15338419
retrospective evaluation of measles antibody titers in vaccinated captive gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	retrospective analyses of banked serum samples and medical records from captive western lowland gorillas (gorilla gorilla gorilla) at lincoln park zoo showed that vaccination of gorillas with a human vaccine induced antibody production. no significant relationship was found between the groups that received one, two, or three vaccinations and the probability of seroconversion. these data also suggested that antibodies in western lowland gorillas persist for at least 11 yr. this information is use ...	2005	17323559
a genomic region evolving toward different gc contents in humans and chimpanzees indicates a recent and regionally limited shift in the mutation pattern.	dna sequences evolving differently in the human and chimpanzee genomes signal recent and regionally limited changes in the process of dna sequence evolution. here we present the comparison of 90 kb from the nonrecombining part of the human y chromosome to the corresponding part of the chimpanzee genome using gorilla as out-group. our results reveal a significant difference in the region-specific substitution process among the human and chimpanzee lineages. as a consequence, this region experienc ...	2005	15703238
evolutionary conservation of 5' upstream sequence of nine genes between human and great apes.	nucleotide sequences of nine 5' upstream gene regions for human, chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan were determined. we estimated nucleotide differences (d) for each region between human and great apes. the overall d was 0.027 (ranged from 0.004 to 0.052). rates of nucleotide substitution were estimated by using d and divergence times of human, chimpanzee, gorilla, and orangutan. the overall rate of nucleotide substitution between human and other hominoids was estimated to be 0.52-0.85 x 10(-9). ...	2005	16172534
the use of live apes in research in the twenty-first century.	a literature-based survey was conducted on the use of live apes in research between 2000 and 2003. the 599 studies identified and considered were grouped according to area of research, taxonomy and geographic location of the work. the results suggested that behaviour/cognition, conservation and various applications related to virology (most notably, hepatitis and hiv) were the most frequent areas of research. of the studies, 73% were classified as non-invasive, whereas 27% were classified as inv ...	2005	16180986
mhc-f dna sequences in bonobo, gorilla and orangutan.	the major histocompatibility complex (mhc)-f class ib locus shows a limited polymorphism, and the function of its mainly intracellular protein is not clear. we have identified human leucocyte antigen (hla)-f orthologous dna sequences in pongidae in order to study the mhc-f gene evolution and its products' function. hla-f orthologous cdna transcripts are found in chimpanzee and in the new primate species studied (bonobo, gorilla and orangutan). analyses of the predicted amino acid sequences and t ...	2005	16185322
first observation of tool use in wild gorillas.	descriptions of novel tool use by great apes in response to different circumstances aids us in understanding the factors favoring the evolution of tool use in humans. this paper documents what we believe to be the first two observations of tool use in wild western gorillas (gorilla gorilla). we first observed an adult female gorilla using a branch as a walking stick to test water deepness and to aid in her attempt to cross a pool of water at mbeli bai, a swampy forest clearing in northern congo. ...	2005	16187795
optimal storage conditions for highly dilute dna samples: a role for trehalose as a preserving agent.	dna extraction from trace samples or noninvasively collected samples often results in the recovery of low concentration solutions of dna that are prone to dna degradation or other loss. because of the difficulty in obtaining such samples, and their potentially high value in wildlife and forensic studies, it is critical that optimal methods are employed for their long-term storage. we assessed the amplification yield of samples kept under different storage conditions with the addition of potentia ...	2005	16225214
alveolar echinococcosis in the zoological garden basle.	alveolar echinococcosis (ae) is a rare, but potentially severe zoonotic disease caused by echinococcus (e.) multilocularis. recent findings indicated an increasing importance of ae for non-human primates living in regions endemic for e. multilocularis. the death of five cynomolgus monkeys (macaca fascicularis) and a lowland gorilla (gorilla g. gorilla) due to ae raised concern about the incidence of this parasite in the basle zoo. consequently, a project was initiated to investigate the prevalen ...	2005	16315852
the axon guidance receptor gene robo1 is a candidate gene for developmental dyslexia.	dyslexia, or specific reading disability, is the most common learning disorder with a complex, partially genetic basis, but its biochemical mechanisms remain poorly understood. a locus on chromosome 3, dyx5, has been linked to dyslexia in one large family and speech-sound disorder in a subset of small families. we found that the axon guidance receptor gene robo1, orthologous to the drosophila roundabout gene, is disrupted by a chromosome translocation in a dyslexic individual. in a large pedigre ...	2005	16254601
discovery of human inversion polymorphisms by comparative analysis of human and chimpanzee dna sequence assemblies.	with a draft genome-sequence assembly for the chimpanzee available, it is now possible to perform genome-wide analyses to identify, at a submicroscopic level, structural rearrangements that have occurred between chimpanzees and humans. the goal of this study was to investigate chromosomal regions that are inverted between the chimpanzee and human genomes. using the net alignments for the builds of the human and chimpanzee genome assemblies, we identified a total of 1,576 putative regions of inve ...	2005	16254605
sva elements: a hominid-specific retroposon family.	sva is a composite repetitive element named after its main components, sine, vntr and alu. we have identified 2762 sva elements from the human genome draft sequence. genomic distribution analysis indicates that the sva elements are enriched in g+c-rich regions but have no preferences for inter- or intragenic regions. a phylogenetic analysis of the elements resulted in the recovery of six subfamilies that were named sva_a to sva_f. the composition, age and genomic distribution of the subfamilies ...	2005	16288912
ophthalmic examination of the captive western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	this study examined the captive western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) eye as compared and contrasted with the human eye. bilateral ophthalmic examinations of western lowland gorillas (n = 5) while under general anesthesia were performed opportunistically, including slit-lamp biomicroscopy, dilated fundus examination, cycloplegic retinoscopy, schiotz tonometry, corneal diameter and thickness measurements, a-scan and b-scan ultrasonography, keratometry, and cultures of the eyelid margi ...	2005	17312760
clostridium septicum myositis in a western lowland gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla).	a 10-yr-old male gorilla (gorilla gorilla gorilla) with a history of conspecific bite wounds was evaluated for acute onset of depression, anorexia, and right hemiparesis. the animal was immobilized for diagnostic examination and treatment for suspected toxic shock from a necrotizing, emphysematous wound infection, but was euthanized due to complications during recovery. gross and histopathologic examination revealed acute necrotizing myositis, fasciitis, cellulitis, and emphysema in the affected ...	2005	17312773
lineage-specific expansions of retroviral insertions within the genomes of african great apes but not humans and orangutans.	retroviral infections of the germline have the potential to episodically alter gene function and genome structure during the course of evolution. horizontal transmissions between species have been proposed, but little evidence exists for such events in the human/great ape lineage of evolution. based on analysis of finished bac chimpanzee genome sequence, we characterize a retroviral element (pan troglodytes endogenous retrovirus 1 [pterv1]) that has become integrated in the germline of african g ...	2005	15737067
catarrhine primate divergence dates estimated from complete mitochondrial genomes: concordance with fossil and nuclear dna evidence.	accurate divergence date estimates improve scenarios of primate evolutionary history and aid in interpretation of the natural history of disease-causing agents. while molecule-based estimates of divergence dates of taxa within the superfamily hominoidea (apes and humans) are common in the literature, few such estimates are available for the cercopithecoidea (old world monkeys), the sister taxon of the hominoids in the primate infraorder catarrhini. to help fill this gap, we have sequenced the en ...	2005	15737392
gorillas (gorilla gorilla) and orangutans (pongo pygmaeus) encode relevant problem features in a tool-using task.	two important elements in problem solving are the abilities to encode relevant task features and to combine multiple actions to achieve the goal. the authors investigated these 2 elements in a task in which gorillas (gorilla gorilla) and orangutans (pongo pygmaeus) had to use a tool to retrieve an out-of-reach reward. subjects were able to select tools of an appropriate length to reach the reward even when the position of the reward and tools were not simultaneously visible. when presented with ...	2005	15740427